Whether it’s cricket, football, rugby, tennis or running, every sport has its own demands on the body. But one thing remains consistent across the board: preparation is key. Getting ahead of injuries and building a strong foundation before the season begins can make all the difference between a successful run and one cut short by time on the sidelines. Here are five essential things every sports club should consider before the season kicks off.
1. Movement Screening: Know How the Body Moves
Before players start smashing sixes, making tackles or chasing down through balls, it’s crucial to understand how their body moves. Movement screening looks at functional movement patterns to identify any restrictions, imbalances or weaknesses.
These assessments highlight areas that could become problematic under pressure. For example, a footballer with limited hip mobility might compensate through the knees, leading to overload and eventual injury.
By screening early, clubs can prescribe tailored mobility and strengthening exercises, giving athletes the best chance to stay on the pitch rather than in the physio room.
Cricket: Bowlers often show asymmetries between dominant and non-dominant sides. Screening helps identify imbalance before they escalate into overuse injuries.
Football: Lateral movement, acceleration and deceleration demand good pelvic control. Movement screening reveals inefficiencies before they cause groin or hamstring issues.
Rugby: With such a contact-heavy sport, identifying poor movement control is vital to avoid joint sprains and strains.
Tennis: Repetitive serving and groundstrokes can create tightness and asymmetries, especially around the shoulders. Screening highlights areas needing extra care.
Running: Even subtle imbalances in movement patterns can lead to shin splints, plantar fasciitis or IT band pain. Screening gets ahead of these issues.
2. Gait Analysis: Understand the Stride
Gait analysis takes a deeper look at how an athlete runs or walks. It’s especially important in running-based sports but has implications for all athletes. Using high-speed cameras or pressure-sensitive treadmills, gait analysis shows how each part of the body behaves through the stride cycle.
Many injuries stem from repetitive loading or poor biomechanics. A small inefficiency repeated hundreds of times in a training session can build into a real problem.
Cricket: Fast bowlers run with a unique gait. Analysing this can reduce the risk of stress fractures and knee issues.
Football: Sprinting, changing direction, and even jogging during warm-ups all load the body differently. Gait analysis can ensure efficient, safe movement.
Rugby: With heavy loads and sudden bursts of speed, gait matters. Analysing it can improve performance and reduce risk of calf, hamstring or Achilles injuries.
Tennis: It’s not just about running; it’s about stopping and starting. Gait analysis can fine-tune footwork and reduce impact forces.
Running: A no-brainer. Gait analysis should be a must-do for any running club. It picks up pronation issues, stride inefficiencies and pressure imbalances.
3. Mobility Checks: Can You Move Through the Full Range?
Mobility is more than just flexibility. It’s about being able to control movement through the full range of motion. Tight hips, stiff ankles or restricted shoulders can affect performance and increase injury risk.
Pre-season mobility checks ensure athletes aren’t entering the season with built-in limitations.
Cricket: Bowlers need excellent thoracic (mid-back) and shoulder mobility to generate power safely. Stiffness here is a red flag.
Football: Tight hips and calves can increase the strain on knees and ankles. Ensuring proper mobility reduces these knock-on effects.
Rugby: Lineouts, tackles, scrums – the sport demands full-body mobility. Shoulder and spinal mobility are particularly important.
Tennis: Rotational mobility is key. Without good range in the trunk and shoulders, technique suffers, and injury risk rises.
Running: Hip, ankle and toe mobility affect stride length, propulsion and landing mechanics. Mobility issues are common but fixable with the right plan.
4. Stability and Control: Strength Where It Matters
Stability is about controlling movement, particularly when under load or in motion. Core stability, pelvic control and joint stability all underpin safe and effective movement.
Pre-season is the time to assess and train stability. Simple tests can highlight issues that would otherwise go unnoticed until an injury appears.
Cricket: Batting and bowling both require a stable base. Poor trunk control leads to wasted energy and higher injury risk.
Football: Single-leg stability is crucial for shooting, cutting and tackling. Weakness here often leads to groin, knee or ankle issues.
Rugby: Players need to absorb and deliver force. That means core and shoulder stability are absolutely vital.
Tennis: Fast changes of direction and rapid arm movements need a stable core to reduce strain on joints.
Running: Running is essentially a series of single-leg balances. Without good hip and core control, injuries are almost guaranteed over time.
5. Sort Out the Niggles: Don’t Let Small Problems Become Big Ones
Every athlete has them – the achy knee that flares up in cold weather, the shoulder that twinges when serving, the lower back that gets sore after long sessions. These little “niggles” are often brushed off.
But they matter. Left alone, they can turn into full-blown injuries that derail a season. Pre-season is the perfect time to get these sorted. A detailed assessment, hands-on treatment, and a focused rehab plan can clear them up before they become serious. True Physio offer a bundle called, ‘Sports Pass’ which is a quick, cost-effective way for athletes or fitness enthusiasts to access assessment, treatment and a free sports massage.
Cricket: Recurrent side strains, finger issues or low back niggles need attention before the games come thick and fast.
Football: Old ankle sprains, patellar tendon pain or hip impingement symptoms should be checked and treated early.
Rugby: Shoulders, necks and knees take a battering. Persistent pain is a sign something’s not right.
Tennis: Wrist, elbow or shoulder discomfort is common. Leaving it unchecked is asking for trouble.
Running: Achilles soreness, shin pain or sore feet are never “just part of running” – they can and should be addressed.
The Takeaway: Prevention Is Better Than Rehab
No matter the sport, the principle is the same: build strong, mobile, stable athletes who move well and have no underlying issues holding them back. Clubs that invest time and effort into pre-season preparation usually see the rewards through fewer injuries, better performance, and greater player satisfaction.
While coaches and athletes focus on tactics, fitness and skills, don’t neglect the physical foundation everything rests on.
Looking After Players from the Ground Up
That’s where expert sports therapy support can make all the difference. Whether it’s a full movement screen, one-to-one gait analysis, or getting persistent niggles resolved, having clinical insight at the start of the season is invaluable.
True Physio works with sports clubs and individual athletes to deliver tailored assessments and treatment plans that prevent injuries before they happen. If you want your players to stay in the game, stay strong and stay pain-free – this is the place to start.